At the 6th Women in Data Science (WiDS) Villach conference on April 10, 2025, Dariia Strelnikova, Senior Researcher at the SIENA Research Group, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, delivered a timely and technically grounded talk titled “Generation of Supplemental Spatial Information to Automate Strategic Risk Assessment for Urban Air Mobility Applications.“

While robust risk assessment frameworks like SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) and layered regulatory guidance at European and national levels already exist, a critical gap remains: the availability and usability of supplemental spatial data needed to operationalize these frameworks — especially for automated, scalable risk assessments in Urban Air Mobility (UAM). As UAM scales, manual, case-by-case evaluations are no longer sustainable. Automation is key, but it requires machine-readable, high-resolution, standardized, and accessible geospatial inputs such as 3D city models, population density, noise sensitivity zones, and emergency infrastructure.

In her talk, Dariia highlighted that such data is often missing, fragmented, outdated, or locked behind non-machine-readable formats and restrictive access. Even when available, it may lack sufficient resolution or come at prohibitive costs. Moreover, there are currently no standardized algorithms or workflows for transforming existing geospatial datasets into the structured risk indicators that UAM operators and authorities need. She outlined what spatial data is currently available, where the most pressing gaps lie, and what technical and institutional improvements are necessary to enable scalable automation—emphasizing the need for interoperable, API-driven, and open-by-design spatial data ecosystems that support the safe and equitable integration of UAM into urban airspace.

Her presentation sparked important discussions among about 300 attendees on how data science can help bridge the gap between regulatory frameworks and real-world implementation—ensuring that the skies above our cities are not only smart, but also safe and accessible.

🔗 Watch the full talk here